Ramiris and Beretta looked at each other and sighed with relief. Veldora was quite happy and satisfied now.
It was very peaceful and no one had a problem.
And it was in that atmosphere that negotiations began.
“First, I want you to let me explain.”
It was Zaza who started.
Before the great war, Zaza was a soldier who was supposed to have been stationed in the seventh city, which was the one that had fallen.
He was a first lieutenant in rank and would have led squadrons…but the great war erupted before then.
Zaza’s family—his beloved wife and daughter lived in the farming district instead of the city.
Zaza didn’t know what to do.
Even if he went to the city now, it was already covered in flames and there was nothing that he could do.
In that case—Zaza took his men and decided to help the refugees instead.
He was worried about his own family, but he prioritized work that was close to the city rather than the countryside.
And his sense of responsibility as a military man led him to prioritize the mission rather than his family.
However, this decision would mean misery for Zaza.
The fighting had started in the city, but it soon spread to the countryside. The whole world was wrapped in the flames of nuclear weapons.
There was no such thing as a safe place outside of the city now.
The countryside was no longer safe, and there was no hope of survival for Zaza’s family.
Amidst guilt and regret, Zaza hoped to at least protect those who had survived.
He heard that the sixth city was taking people in, and so Zaza escorted the refugees.
However, this gave birth to the worst tragedy of all.
The fall of the sixth city.
There was mass chaos. Zaza’s men were pulled into it and forced to fight.
But who was a friend and who was foe?
The people who he had been escorting attacked him and Zaza was wounded.
But the cannons of the city soldiers who struck back also hit Zaza. All four of his limbs were blown off and his unit crumbled.
It was chaos and confusion.
It was Michelle’s troops, who were working at regaining order and retaking the city, that ultimately saved Zaza from death.
And while he was saved, everything was finished by the time that he regained consciousness.
Yes, everything.
I want to die—it was as Zaza was thinking this that Michelle came to see him.
And she said:
–If that life means nothing to you, I will take it. Not for the empire, but to protect those who have survived. Help me–
Perhaps the memory had been idealized, but those words were like a treasure to Zaza.
And so he became a cyborg soldier and worked as an informant for Michelle.
“So, that is how it happened. I pretended to have discovered hideouts that General Michelle prepared. And then I told you all.”
“And…what about the surviving generators and life-support machines…?”
“Aye. General Michelle’s trusted men brought them while making sure that no one knew about it. After all, did you really think there would be machines that had been damaged so little?”
“Now that you mention it…”
Rindo nodded as Zaza’s explanation started to make sense in his head.
Zaza was also the oldest out of all of them.
It was true that without Zaza, the resistance would not have been able to maintain their size all of this time.
They had recognized him as a purely military man who had survived the great war. And so there were some who felt that it was odd that he had never become a leader.
Zaza went around to each base and seemed to find new places to hide before an old one became uninhabitable.
Zaza always called it good luck, but if this was the reason for it, then it all made sense.
So all of his accomplishments were due to Michelle’s support.
It was proof that what Michelle said was the truth.
“So that’s why. I was wondering why there was a cyborg just like me amongst the resistance.”
“Tsk. So you noticed?”
“No, not really. I just thought that the technology seemed out of reach for them. It wasn’t until you said that you couldn’t eat pancakes that I began to suspect.”
Karman added that he became sure of it after seeing the way he had reacted to Michelle.
Outwardly, Zaza had the same detailed features as humans. He did not look like he was built for battle.
As the resistance was low on resources, they would not have been able to make such changes just to increase his lifespan.
Besides, it wasn’t the new modification technology that used enhanced organs and required food—it was the old type that was the exact same as Karman’s own modifications…
It was technology from over one hundred years ago. If it was still operating today, if only the brain was still human, that would require an incredibly difficult procedure.
So Karman was able to guess at what Zaza was, as he had undergone the same procedure at the same time under Michelle’s order.
“In the first place, I could tell by the way you talked to her. You’re an awful spy!”
“Hey!”
Ramiris declared. Veldora laughed.
Zaza scratched his head and said, ‘I am ashamed.’
He said that he could not tell what Michelle was trying to do, and he had been caught off guard once he saw that Veldora was fine.
“Fool. As if I would lose. That’s why I don’t care for weak people…”
“You don’t get it! If General Michelle wanted it, we would have all been dead!”